A Distorted Reality
by IndifferentStoryTeller
Summary: In a parallel universe everyone is living a better life, well except for Penny, who in this universe has a failing heart and she must live out the rest of her life in a hospital, and Sheldon is her doctor.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello everyone, I know it has been some time, but this is the story I have promised you, I took a different take on it, hoping that it will be enjoyed by many of you. So here you go, have a fun and read away.**

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><p>As one man had once stated; there can be over a thousand parallel universe that we don't even know about, universe where nothing is the same, and everyone has a different life from the one they have now, that being true the focus is on one universe. In this particular parallel universe, Leonard doesn't work at the University, but he instead owns it and he's teaching his oldest son how to run it, and where Raj is still in India, married, and is the GEO of a telescope company. Howard still doesn't have a PhD but he has already been on dozens of missions into space and is married to a gold digger. Bernadette is working on curing the common cold, while Amy is a top Biologist who has a loving wife, and as for Sheldon, he still has a high IQ, still OCD, but he doesn't work in the science field, he's in fact a Doctor who lives in California.<p>

Now as for Penny?

She is neither a waitress nor an actress, but in fact she is a small shop owner that sells trinkets, but unfortunately for Penny, in this universe she didn't get a lucky break like everyone else, Penny was born with a frail heart. Every time she has an attack, it brings her closer to her death, and as days pass the attacks come sooner and sooner.

Another thing about this parallel universe; no one knows each other.

That is until Penny has another attack that sends her right into a Dr. Cooper s hospital.

December 12th, 2011, 1:46 PM

Penny was rushed into a near by hospital on a stretcher, attached to a breathing machine, and Dr. Sheldon Cooper was running beside her as she was being pushed around the hospital to get her into a room on time to save her. Penny was originally out and about with her friends when she had another heart attack, she fell crippled to the hard pavement. Dr. Cooper was on call at the time, and he was paged to assist Penny at once.

He finally got her hooked up to a ECG, the room echoed with the screeching noise of the machine, signalling that there is no heart beat.

"Quick! Get me the defibrillator!" Dr. Cooper screamed over the sound of the ECG, while the nurse did what she had been told, Dr. Cooper tore Penny's shirt open as to place the pads on Penny's flesh when the nurse returned.

"Here!" The nurse handed Dr. Cooper the equipment, he then placed the pads on Penny's body, rubbed the two paddles together till the static could be heard.

"Clear!" He placed the machine's paddles to the pads, and Penny's body jolted up, no responding heart beat, "Again!" Dr. Cooper repeated the motion, again with no heart beat, he was going to give it one more time before he called it.

"Clear!"

Penny's body went up right and her heart jolted back to life, the room soon was filled with her steady heart beat, everyone gave a sigh of relief that she was alive. They got her cleaned up and fixed her room so when Penny finally came too it would at least look like a clean hospital room.

6:07 PM, Same day.

Penny was dreaming that she was flying, that she had the wings of a bird and she could feel them carry her to wherever she could of gone, she was happy to be free, but the dream was only happy for a short time, a sharp pain shoot through her heart and her wings began to dissolve away, she was now falling. What brought her out of this dream was a faint beeping in the back ground.

Penny slowly opened her eyes to the bright light that was above her, she knew these type of lights all to well to actually freak out that she was in the hospital, she turned to see a tall man with some what gangly body, dark brown and combed off to the side hair. What really got Penny was the bright blue eyes that were fixed on her.

"Hello, Miss Hunter, I'm Dr. Cooper."

"Um, Hi."

Penny wasn't used to people calling her by her last time, she preferred them not too, "You can just call me, Penny."

"I'm sorry but I can't do that."

"And why not?"

Dr. Cooper folded his arms behind his back and said in such a matter-of-fact voice, Penny could feel her ears actually bleed.

"Because if I were to do that, it would destroy the doctor and patient barrier, and I would like to keep our relationship as that; professional."

God was her doctor an anal bitch.

"Please? It would make me feel less like I'm actually in a hospital." Penny was putting on her best pouty face, but it wasn't working with Dr. Cooper, he was unmoved by this.

"Well alright let me think... No, Miss Hunter."

Penny was defeated and rested her head deeper into her pillow as she possibly could.

"So, how long do I have to stay in here this time? A day? Two days? A week?" Dr. Cooper got really still and quite, he slowly moved closer to Penny, hands still tucked away behind his back.

"About that, I'm sorry, but you won't be checking out of the hospital anytime soon. Your heart is far to weak to continue with a normal living, if you over work it you will have another attack, and this time we won't be able to bring you back."

Penny was in complete shock to this news, she wanted to cry, shake her head no, and yell at him that he was a lair, that she won't be dying at 22. But sadly Penny knew this was the truth, she couldn't keep on living, it was a surprise to everyone that she even made it to five, even more when she was still alive on her sixtieth birthday. Her heart was just not up to keep fighting, and she was too poor to get a transplant, and she wouldn't want anyone else's heart anyways.

"How long? Do I have I mean?"

Dr. Cooper looked over his chart on her footrest, "Maybe a month, give or take. . Again I'm really sorry, we can try our best by making you comfortable here."

"Why can't I leave thou? I'd really rather die in my own bed."

Dr. Cooper took a large sign, and tried his best to explain to Penny, why she can't leave, "Because it is not in this hospital's policy to release a dying patient, for one it's just wrong, and two if you leave, you risk dying sooner. Now if you were to stay here we can keep watch over you and progress your life a little longer. That's all we hope for really, you to live as long as you can."

Penny folded her arms over her chest, wanting to disapprove of what he was saying, but she did have to admit that it made sense, it was no use to throw a dying person out on the streets, it could also give him and the hospital a bad reputation.

Self-centered anal doctor.

"You said you'd do whatever you could to make me comfy, right?"

"That is correct, do you have something in mind already, Miss Hunter?"

"Yeah. Call me Penny."

Dr. Cooper narrowed his blue eyes at her, but agreed to it anyways.

"Alright, Penny."

"See, isn't that better?" Penny smiled up at him.

"Not really. But if it suits you, then so be it." Dr. Cooper walks his way over to the door to leave, Penny stops him before he can make it to the hallway.

"Wait, what's your name?"

He doesn't bother to face her when he tells her his name, "It's Sheldon." the he just leaves Penny alone to herself, "It's nice to meet you, Sheldon."

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><p><strong>Here you all are, chapter one, hope you like. Any review is a good review.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

December 13th, 2011, 12:15

Penny laid down in her hospital bed and flipped through the very few channels that they did have, trying to find something to watch until two o'clock came around. Two o'clock was when visiting hours started, and Penny was bored out of her skull. She had already ate poorly cooked hospital food, showered; twice, and checked her emails by phone. Being caged up like this was not Penny's style.

She swung her legs over her bed, and wheeled her IV around the other side of the bed, it was time to go exploring. Penny peeked her head out to be sure Dr. Anal wasn't around and she lurked down the hall the best anyone can while attached to an IV. Upon rounding the first corner, Penny felt very pleased with herself, making it all the way out of her room and without anyone stopping her, but irony had always been cruel to her.

"Did you get permission to leave your room?"

Penny turned to see her doctor leaning up on the wall, reading a chart.

"Well, I didn't know I had to." She tried to play innocent, anything to not have her be sent back into her room.

"A nurse or your doctor has to give an okay that you are fit to move about, what are you doing out of your room anyways? If you are hungry there is a button in your room for that reason." He closed the chart and studied Penny, she was surly a handful, and she knew this.

No, not hungry, I'm just bored and I don't like being stuck up in a room all day, so I thought I go for a little walk around the hospital."

"You need to get permission from a nurse or you doctor for you to be out and about."

Penny rolled her eyes, "But you are my doctor, and as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. So what do you say? Can I pretty please just look around for a bit?"

12:22, Same day

Sheldon gave this some though, and he supposed it was good to see her active, it wouldn't hurt him or her if she moved around for a bit.

"Oh, alright, but you can only walk around this floor only." He pointed to the ground when he said this and walked away, seeing Penny's face pout as he left.

Sheldon has yet to meet someone like her, so he was intended to do all he can to help her, without her knowing it he had put her on the waiting list for a heart, her blood work had been sent out and everything. He already had a plan for the payment cost if it all goes well. Sheldon only hopped that a match would come in the next few day so he can get her fixed up and out of here. Yes working on someone who is already as weak as she is, is very risky, but Sheldon was known for taking risk and having the best outcome.

His pager went off, one of his other patients needed to be check on, Sheldon smiled at the name of the patient that was shown on his screen, and he nearly skipped over to greet them.

"Hello, Mr. Naylor, and how are you today?" Mr. Naylor was an old, potbellied man, complete with facial hair, Sheldon took interest in this man because he was a physicist; something Sheldon always found fascinating.

"Well, Dr. Cooper, I'm still in the hospital so I can't be doing so well, but I'm hanging in there."

"Oh, I know you are, I have the test results for your blood work, you have a very high cholesterol, and a bit of blood clotting, which would be the reason for your stroke and chest pain you have been having. Now I am prescribing you with blood thinners to help avoid anymore clotting, and I advise you to eat at least three bowls of Cheerios everyday, to help lower your cholesterol."

"Are Cheerios really necessary, Doctor?"

"Why yes of course they are, they'll help, they taste good and have a great fiber content, and if you want to stay around long enough to finish your work, I highly suggest it. Speaking of your work, I'm curious to how it is coming along."

Mr. Naylor gave a soft chuckle at Sheldon's question, "If you want to know so bad, It's coming along well, as soon as I get out of here I'm going to a research facility in Germany. Going to see what happens if we combine two subatomic particles that are from different upbringings. We hope that we can create a new particle or atom. If all goes wrong it might just become a waste of time."

"Well that does sound fascinating, I hope for the best with your project."

"Thanks, Doctor. How much longer will I be in here?"

"We can have you out of here by tomorrow morning, bright and early."

"That's great to hear, thank you Doctor."

Sheldon smiles down at him with great respect, "It's my pleasure, Mr. Naylor. I will be seeing you off tomorrow."

Mr. Naylor crossed his arms over his chest, "Well, that's very kind of you, Doctor, never thought you'd be the friendly type to say goodbye."

"Normally I'm not, but you have been a joy to have and I've enjoyed your company very much. I've also told you countless time how your line of work always captures my intention. It's a breath of fresh air to talk to someone on my type of intellectual level."

Mr. Naylor gave a hearty laugh and nodded his head in agreement with Sheldon, "I understand what your saying, some people can be a bit dim. But now I have a question for you?"

Sheldon cocked his brow at Mr. Naylor, but was curious as to what Mr. Naylor wanted to know, "Go right ahead and ask."

"If you are so interested in physics, how come you never went into that line of work? You surly are intelligent enough."

"I did consider it once, when I was quite young, but a part of me thought how grand it would be to help people on a different level. So ignoring the urge to splice particles I'm helping people live."

"Very noble of you Doctor. Have any challenging patient lately?"

Sheldon didn't have to give any thought to this, he knew his challenge was Penny, aside from being a handful, and her heart problem, she was a zazzy one.

"I'm actually having one right now, Jane Doe, blond, has a failing heart. She has about a month to live and ' m trying to get a matching heart so we can save her."

"I hope you do, she sounds like a sweet gal."

On impulse Sheldon said what felt natural to him, "She is." Mr. Naylor grinned, Sheldon rolled his eyes, "I mean for a troublesome girl as herself, she's hot headed and tempered, disobedient, and above all has no sense of responsibility for herself.. But she does seem like a sweet girl. It would be a shame if the world were to lose her."

"Isn't it like that for everyone thou?" Mr. Naylor laid back and rested his head low into his pillow, Isn't it a shame to lose anyone so very young, and with so much to offer?"

Sheldon admired Mr. Naylor, not only for his wisdom and honesty, but how he always has something moving to say. "You are right about that, It's a shame."

Sheldon's pager went off and he checked it, then signed heavily.

"Doesn't sound so good, what's the problem?"

"My problem isn't a "what", it is a "her." I told that girl not to leave this floor, and what does she do? Goes down to the maternity ward!"

Sheldon stomps out of Mr. Naylor s room, apologizing for cutting their meeting short, before he leave Mr. Naylor ask Sheldon one last thing.

"Dr. Cooper, what's her name? This Jane doe?"

"Penny, her name is Penny, and she's a pain in my neck!"

Mr. Naylor laughed out loud, remembering how it must feel, to have some feel like "pain in the neck".

1:47 AM, Same day.

This doctor of Penny's was nothing but a pain in her neck, she had listened to him, for all of ten minutes but became bored, and now he's standing in front of her and ripping her a new one.

"I told you to stay on your floor, what on earth were you doing anyways all the way down there?"

"I just wanted to see the babies! I heard one crying and got all excited alright? I think they all are just so cute."

"That's just you then."

"Wow what's got you so crabby, Dr. Anal?" Penny folded her arms over her chest and gave him a cold glare.

"First off it"s Dr. Cooper, not anal, and Second my problem is a girl with a failing heart who can't seem to listen to one thing I tell her, I'm trying to help you but you refuse to listen to me what so ever."

Penny lowered her eyes to the floor and bit her bottom lip, "Sorry then, I just got bored. I'll go back to my room now." Penny gripped the cold bar of her IV holder and sulked back to her room. she didn't want to a bother to anyone anymore, especially if she didn't have much longer to live, it was pointless to put up a fight with her doctor, or to even keep up the fight in herself.

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><p><strong>HOLY COW! I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter done! School had kept me busy, but now I am on Spring break so I will have plenty of time to write more to this story and maybe start my many more stories to come! hope you like this and remember a review makes this author happy!<strong>

**Read away**.


	3. Chapter 3

December 14th, 2011. 8:30 AM

Penny was wide awake, she was standing under the hot water of her morning shower with a plain cup full of coffee just in reach on the floor beside her. She wasn't at all hungry for the stuff they claimed to be food, but Penny could never resist a good, hot, free cup of coffee. This had only been Penny's second day here and she was already feeling like her life was going to be wasted in here, and she so far wasn't wrong about that.

Penny could tell it was getting harder for her to keep going, to actually sit up in bed was a struggle, but she was going to play off strong and stable as best as she could. Despite the tug she felt on her heart every so often, she didn't tell Dr. Anal this yesterday, but when she was walking back to her room after he chewed her out, she felt quick, sharp pain in her chest.

But nothing happened. That worried her.

That pain was usually a trigger letting her know that she was going to have an attack, but this time it wasn't it, Penny wasn't going to spend much time thinking about it, it was done and over with. She was getting really comfortable under the water, she almost thought she was home again, so she started to sing. Yes, Penny sings in the shower; she also dances too. However Penny couldn't sing, this was her downfall, but oh, how she loved it. Unknowingly to her Dr. Cooper was just outside her bathroom, standing on the other side of the door for an early visit. He couldn't make out the sound so he knocked on the door.

"Penny? Are you alright in there?"

Penny panicked at his voice and tried to get her towel around her so she could answer the door, she was above letting a stranger see her naked.

"Yeah, hold on! Penny jumped out of the shower and for the towel that was on the sink; she forgot all about the coffee cup. She stepped on it, causing it to roll under her foot and sending her colliding to the floor. The loud crash way all Sheldon needed to throw open the door, Penny's eyes went wide and she tried her best to cover herself while she lied on the floor.

"Close your eyes!" She screamed at him while crawling awkwardly over to the towel.

Sheldon didn't listen, he just cocked his brow and shook his head in disbelief, walked over to get Penny's towel and drape it over her.

"Penny, please, I see over ten naked women a day, you are no different. Can you stand? Did you hurt yourself at all?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

Penny went to push herself up, when she did this there was a loud pop in her shoulder; now she wasn't alright. Sheldon laid her down and asked her not to move, he carefully rubbed her shoulder all over to see where the damage is.

"Oh, yes, seems you have dislocated your shoulder." Sheldon smiled wickedly down at her.

"Fan-fucking-tastic. Just what I need."

Sheldon helped Penny up and out of the bathroom, "It's nothing serious, we'll just put you in a sling once we put it back into place, and keep you in it for a week, give or take on how fast it heals. Oh and I am now putting you on bed rest, no activity of any sorts."

"You're kidding me? You actually want me to just stay in here?"

"I don't kid."

Penny signed deeply, sneaking out and gossiping with the nurses was the only enjoyment she had in this dull place. And now that was being taken away.

"Well what do you suppose I do now? I'm going to be bored."

"You have a T.V. and visitors, I think you can survive a few days without causing me problems."

Same day, 9:15 AM

Sheldon helped Penny on to bed and left to call in a nurse to take care of Penny while he went to go check up on his other patients, but more importantly; he just had to say goodbye to Mr. Naylor.

He tapped the nurse on the shoulder and whispered in her ear some instructions about Penny.

"Don't let her leave her room, try and not let her move around so much, and be sure to let the other nurses know that she might be in a very foul mood, so make sure anyone who checks on her don't stay long." The nurse nodded her head in understanding and took care of Penny, who had to shout over the nurse to Sheldon.

"Hey! Dr. Anal, where are you going!"

Sheldon still hates her for calling him that, but he had to shake it off.

"I'll tell you, only if you call me by my actual name. Other then that I will be right back." Sheldon made it all the way down to Mr. Naylor's room just as he was picking up his bags.

"Mr. Naylor, good to see you, it's great to see you off as well."

"Ah, Dr. Cooper. I see you are a man of your word."

"That I am, that I am. I hope the best for you, and I would like it if I didn't see you back here anytime soon, unless it's to visit."

"I'll make sure to do that. Thank you so much." Mr. Naylor held out his hand and Sheldon grasped it in his and they both shared a bonding moment that only two men can ever understand.

They both walked down to front office, the whole time just talking as if they were lifelong friends just saying goodbye after a pleasant reunion.

"So Dr. Cooper, how is that Jane doe you were telling me about? Find a heart for her yet?"

Sheldon shook his head no and pushed his hair back in frustration, "Not as of yet. This morning however I walked in on her to see she had dislocated her shoulder, so I've put her on bed rest for a while, in a sling, and in a very bad temper."

Mr. Naylor let out a hearty laugh and pat Sheldon on the back, "Well all I can say is; have fun with that. How many people do you get to meet like that?"

"I rather not meet anyone like that at all."

"Now, don't say that. It's a good thing."

Sheldon watched Mr. Naylor leave his hospital, and he has always had mixed feeling about having people leave. He was happy to see that he made a difference in their life, and allowed them to leave happier, healthier, and above all; they felt in high hopes. But he also felt gloomy when the ones he gets close to leave, he felt this was with Mr. Naylor, he was going to miss their talks, his visits, and just seeing his name on his pager. Sheldon knew though, that even if they left today, they are just as happy be out of the hospital, as Sheldon is to get them out of it. Sheldon only took a moment or two left to reflect on his thoughts, and decided to see if his heart was in yet.

Instead of walking all the way down to the morgue where they keep; one the dead people, and two; organs. He just sent a quick page, and continued with his rounds.

His pager went off half way through his rounds, no heart.

Sheldon was starting to feel the one disheartened here, but this was no time for him to start losing hope, even if she didn't know it just yet, Penny was counting on him.

Same day, 2:38 PM

Penny was laying down in bed, a smile was plastered on her face, her friends had came to visit her. It was all good fun, they were laughing at how they sent her in the hospital with a bad heart and now they might get her back with a busted shoulder. "

So, Penny have they told you when you're getting out? I can't watch over your store forever." One of Penny's friends teased, but Penny couldn't bring herself to tell them that she won't be leaving, that she can't leave.

So she just had to lie until she broke down and told them everything.

"Oh, they haven't actually told me yet, they are doing a few more test, and you know see if I am able to go back into the scary real world." They all laughed loudly and giggled like little school girls, Penny did miss this, she missed having all of her friends with her, and just feeling like she hasn't lost touch with the outside world. That she still somehow belonged there, even if she was just a small part, a part that was normally overlooked by so many, but still mattered

There was a soft knock at the door, the three heads of the girls looked over to see Sheldon standing in the doorway.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything, I just came to take a look over Penny."

"Nah, you're fine Doctor. We were just talking." Penny pipped up.

"I can plainly see that, ladies if you would please step aside." Sheldon motioned his hand for them to move, Penny's friends gave sideways looks before agreeing.

"Hey, actually I think we will go get some coffee, we will be right back." Voiced one of the girls and they both left, but not before glaring at the back of Sheldon's head.

"Come on, Dr. Anal! I don't get to see them for so long and you scare them away."

"That was their own fault, they are just poor at understanding how busy a man can get. And for the last time, it's Cooper, I am Dr. Cooper, and I would like to be addressed as such, or I will go back to calling you Miss Hunter."

So, Dr. Anal likes to play that way? Fine, if Penny was going to have to suffer through spending time with him, might as well get some enjoyment out of her part.

"Sorry... Sheldon."

Sheldon hung his head in defeat, and Penny couldn't help but smile to herself.

"You are just too much of a problem for anyone aren't you?" Sheldon pulled up a seat next to Penny's bed and browsed her chart for the third time today.

"Oh like you're one to talk, I don't understand how people can work with you."

"They don't. They work for me, there is a difference."

"Of course they do. So you must be here for a reason, spill."

Sheldon was silent for a moment, and Penny could tell he was feeling uneasy about something, she had that sort of empathy.

"What? What is it? Do I have less time to live now?"

"No, no, it's not that... it's just, I put you on the waiting list for a heart."

Penny shot up into an upright sitting position, anger mixed with disbelief, and even gratitude on her face.

"You did what? I thought I told you I didn't want any stupid new heart."

"You said that yes, but you never signed anything saying that if you were to die or if any opportunity to save you came up, we were not allowed to do our job and save you. Look I plugged in the numbers and I did all the background checks, you are perfect for a new heart. It would increase your lifespan to twenty even thirty years. You could live a full life."

Penny sat there, looking down at her hands, in complete shock, she could cry out and hug Sheldon, or she could have tried jumping out the window, but sitting there thinking over everything was a good third choice. She never thought she could actually live a full life like everyone else she knows.

"How can I pay for it? I didn't think my insurance covered it?"

"Not all of it no, but it will cover the cost of the surgery, the rest you will just have to pay."

Again, Penny was silent, "Why tell me this now? Not when you put my name on the list?"

Penny saw Sheldon's blue eyes look into her as he spoke with such kindness, "I was going to put it off as long as I could, till the heart got here, but when you hurt yourself this morning, I could see that waiting would no longer be the right choice, so I had to tell you, I just hope something comes for you soon."

Penny's friends come back to the room, they both had a cup in their hands, and they got really quite from what they were talking about.

"I guess this is time for me to leave, I will be coming by later on to check up on you, Penny."

"Goodbye, Dr. Cooper." Penny could see a small smile on his face as he disappeared out of sight.

"What was he talking to you about?" Asked the overly talkative of the two.

"Oh, just that I'm going to be okay."

"He's a bit of an asshole." Said the other one.

"Yeah, but you have to admit, he's pretty damn fine!"

The three shared one more outburst of laughter, and Penny gave one last input about her Doctor.

"Yeah, and he's also one of the nicest men I think I ever met."

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><p><strong>AN: You have no idea how sorry I am for putting this story off for so long, I up and got sick last week and couldn't bring myself to add to it, but here it is, your long awaited chapter. Please read, enjoy and if you are that type of person, review.<strong>

**Read away**


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